Always Means Forever
by Psychic101
Summary: Henry has a talk with his son about the divorce between him and Maddie.


I just came up with this while doing nothing really. But watching 'Fairly Legal' helped me express these ideas.

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><p><strong>Henry's Point of View<strong>

Just because things change doesn't mean they're permanent right? Like when you get a new brother or sister they eventually leave or when you start dating someone new. It's all part of a circle, the circle of life. Yeah, cheesy, I know but how can I explain it to you? Let's say its like Yin and Yang. Bad and good need each other. Without one there isn't the other. You need both for both to exist.

What brought on all this thinking on? A divorce that's what. I once heard someone say that just because you get a divorce, doesn't mean you don't love each other or understand each other. It means that you finally do.

What the hell am I thinking? A divorce is a divorce even for a police officer like me.

"Mom's not coming back is she?" My son Shawn asked.

"Don't mumble Shawn, no one can understand you when you mumble." I told him taking a sip of coffee. Shawn looked up at me and frowned.

"Do you even care? Mom just left and she's probably not coming back!" Shawn shouted.

"Don't talk to me like that," I snapped my eyes jumping to meet his.

"I got my answer then, you don't care about her and you don't care about me!" Shawn yelled before he stomped upstairs. I swear that kid acts like a three year old on a temper tantrum.

"Shawn get back here!" I called after him but I got a slamming door as my response. I knew the divorce between Maddie and I was hard on Shawn, but I didn't talk to him. To be honest- it wasn't because I didn't want to, it was because I didn't know how. How do you explain to your child that you and their mother love each other yet you don't?

As a cop I've seen it many times. Couple's divorced for all sorts of reasons, cheating, false accusations, sometimes even because the death of a child. I'm just glad Maddie and I weren't getting a divorce because Shawn was killed. I sighed and stood up, making my way upstairs.

"Shawn open the door!" I commanded banging on the white door.

"No!" Shawn yelled back.

"Please…" I added in my normal tone of voice. I heard shuffling and the door opened. Shawn was tall for his age and his green eyes were bright with anger. Maddie and I knew that he got his eyes from her, but we had no idea where he got the hair. That light, soft, brown hair.

"You never say please," Shawn whispered looking at me.

"No I don't and I should." I admitted walking into his room. "We need to talk," I told him as I sat on his bed. He crossed the room and sat in a chair by the window.

"Talk," Shawn said impatiently folding his arms across his chest.

"I need you to know why your mom and I got a divorce. It's not because we don't love each other. I love your mom, I really do." I started.

"Then why?" Shawn shot back.

"We just couldn't get along. I was working, she was working, it was really no one's fault." I explained to him. He features softened for a fraction of a second before they hardened and he exploded.

"Stop trying to blame mom. You wanted the divorce not her," Shawn spat at me and I nodded.

"Yeah I wanted the divorce. Why? Because I thought maybe she'd take you when she left!" I shouted walking out of the door. I knew it was wrong, but I didn't care at the moment.

**20 Years Later**

"Dad?" Shawn asked walking into the room. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. Last night I had gotten into a car accident with a drunken idiot and I ended up in the hospital.

"What?" I asked rather harshly.

"Thanks," he muttered looking down at his feet.

"For what?" I looked at him. He was acting weird. Well… weirder than normal.

"You told me that you wanted the divorce. That you had caused it and mom wasn't to be blame. And I hated you. I hated you with all of my heart thinking that you had let mom go. When in reality, she was the one who left, the one who wanted the divorce. But what I don't get is why would you let me hate you?" Shawn asked sitting in the chair beside the bed.

"Because Shawn, I knew that no matter what I did you would end up hating me. I didn't want you to hate both of us, so I took the heat." I explained.

"But aren't you supposed to be honest?" he questioned.

"No Shawn, I've always told you it's not okay to lie, but as long as you don't get caught it's sort of okay. If you haven't noticed I didn't get caught." I smiled.

"I just can't help but think that maybe if you had told me the truth…our relationship could be different." Shawn confessed. I had wondered that as well.

"Shawn don't go soft on me kid," I said and he smiled.

"To be honest? I don't want to talk about this," Shawn whispered and I looked at him confused. He mouthed 'Jules' and he pointed to the door and I understood. Juliet 'Jules' O'Hara was Shawn's girlfriend. She was sweet, and really good for my son. She just had a habit of trying to fix our relationship.

"She's making you talk about this?" I whispered back and he nodded. Got to love that girl. "Let's give her a show," I whispered and Shawn nodded his understanding. A bright small spread on his face.

"I don't know why you won't tell me!" Shawn shouted surprising me for a second.

"Because you still act like a five year old!" I yelled beginning my part.

"Actually it's four!" Shawn corrected me.

"Why don't you leave me the hell alone?" I spat loudly at him.

"Because I wanted to watch you die," Shawn shouted back and the door swung open.

"What happened?" Juliet asked worriedly entering the room.

"He's what happened!" Shawn continued to play along and he pointed at me.

"He was born," I shot back before we started laughing. We couldn't help it.

"What? I don't understand…." Juliet trailed off looking between us.

"Juliet that was nice of you to drag his ass down here, but we don't need help in our relationship." I said and Shawn smiled.

"That was a show Jules I told you to not get involved." Shaw continued to explain

"I was just trying to help," Juliet said sheepishly.

"I know," Shawn said wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her head.

"You know everything don't you?" I asked Shawn. And he gave me his all knowing smile.

"Yes dad I do."

"You don't, or you would be a cop right now." I said

"If I wanted to become a cop…." Shawn argued back and Juliet sighed softly. She leaned her head on Shawn's shoulder and simply rubbed his back as Shawn and I began yet another argument about his employment.

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><p>I love it when Shawn and Henry argue about nothing, it makes my day.<p> 


End file.
